Organic viticulture is growing, naturally

Q: Could you please recommend a few organic or sustainably produced Northwest wines?

A: The intricacies of organically grown grapes, sustainably farmed vineyards, organically made (and certified) wines, NSA (no sulfites added) wines and (still more esoteric) biodynamic farming are going to be examined in depth in future columns. But here are a few names to get you going.

In Washington, Badger Mountain is certified organic and makes some NSA wines. Snoqualmie's "Naked" series wines are made with organically grown grapes, and some Cayuse vineyards have been certified biodynamic.

Walla Walla vineyards are leaders in practicing sustainable viticulture and have an organization called Vinea to track their progress; roughly 80 percent of the region's vineyards are members.

Oregon has moved more quickly down the organic viticulture path and has more complex and thorough certification procedures. Wineries and vineyards practicing sustainable viticulture include Benton-Lane, Bethel Heights, Ponzi, Willamette Valley Vineyards, WillaKenzie Estate and Witness Tree.

Oregon wineries that are certified organic include Cooper Mountain, Evesham Wood and Sokol Blosser; King Estate's vineyards and nursery are also organically certified.

Biodynamic wineries include Bergstrom, Brick House and Maysara; the Resonance vineyard is certified biodynamic. Visit www.vineatrust.com for information on the Walla Walla Valley Winegrowers' Sustainable Trust. Visit www.liveinc.org for information on Oregon's Low Input Viticulture & Enology programs. Visit www.demeter-usa.org for information on biodynamic certification.

Paul Gregutt answers questions weekly in the Wine section.

He can be reached by e-mail at wine@seattletimes.com.